Find Me
by dragonfly-affinity
Summary: Promises made are promises to be kept. 'Find me and I'll tell you more'. OC rating upped as just in case
1. The Beginning

Note: This is a little story I conjured up after completing DMC 2 – Dante Disc. It may be slightly confusing 'cause the Dante in this story is the Dante from DMC 3, but apart from that, everything else should be ok ¦-)

Oh yea, sorry - thanks Curorius for reminding me to mention that the brown haired woman is an OC ;- sorry XD

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Disclaimer: I only own a _copy_ of DMC 2 ¦sob¦

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As the platinum haired demi-demon made his way home after a tiring day of demon-slaying, his journey was abruptly halted by the sounds of a fight in the alleyway nearby. Drawn by the scuffle, unable to withdraw from a chance for another fight, Dante rounded the corner, coolly running, never losing his collected visage, and as he entered the narrow path – his eyes became transfixed by a mesmerising fiend, caught up in a whirlwind duel with a blood goat; chocolate brown locks cut short fanned freely after her, her body was lithe and graceful; easily she dodged and deflected the blows that came her way.

However, her clothes were torn and ragged, tainted with blood, but sharp disc projectiles flew from the gaps of her fingers, entwined in equally sharp string that found its way around the blood goat's neck, wrapping around it like a snake's coils and with a brutal yank the thin mythril silver strings penetrated the decaying flesh from all sides, cleanly removing the head from the body, both landing with a sickening thud as the brunette landed neatly on the ground; crouched low, head bowed.

The azure-eyed young man, who appeared to be about nineteen-years old, could only stand there, gaping – mesmerised while the other female demon hunter straightened and dusted herself off, before turning to face the 'intruder', her amber eyes beautiful, as was her face. "Son of Sparda," she nodded her acknowledgment. "Pleasure to finally meet you."

"Do I know you?" he couldn't help but ask, and the new slayer smirked a sexy grin that made his heart skip a beat.

"I have a feeling that we shall meet again," and just to make sure, she decided to play a little 'game' with him. "There are six letters to my name, I will reveal to you a letter each time we meet; and the first is an 'A', as in 'see you as soon as possible'," and with that she turned and walked away, grinning almost ferally, her hips moving in time to an unsung rhythm that captivated Dante all the more, giving him all the strength he required, the determination to go after her – and even after he had learnt her name, he would still… follow her no matter where she went. He couldn't help this gravity that he felt towards her. He was _drawn_ to her.

As she disappeared into the shadows, Dante released a small wolf whistle. "Until then," he smiled before turning and continuing home, though that night, he already knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep well – his mind was plagued by images of the mysterious brown haired woman, who looked younger than him, by at least a year if not more.

"Who are you?" he couldn't help but wonder aloud. He knew that everyone knew him, but only as the 'Son of Sparda' – but… he wanted to be acknowledged for himself too, away from his father, he wanted to be known as Dante also, not just the 'Son' of the 'Great Sparda' always, he wanted his own identity. This – he was willing to show the girl. "Don't worry, I'll find you again… as soon as possible," his lips quirked into a faint smile at the memory of her strange mnemonic that only barely made sense.

After all, he knew that this was only the beginning.

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Ok – I hope that wasn't too bad, but it _will_ get better during the later chapter – promise! XD


	2. More

Disclaimer: I only own a _copy_ of DMC ¦sob¦ ;

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Two weeks later, Dante found himself stalking his usual patrol when suddenly a silver disc barred his path, trailed by the faint line of silver wire, making his heart stop as he turned to follow the 'weapon' back to its owner – the pretty brunette from a fortnight ago, and she had her 'trademark smirk' on her lips, which was as sexy as smirks could be as she sauntered closer, satisfied that she had gotten his attention, retracting the wire at the same time.

"Hello again, son of Sparda," she greeted in a lukewarm manner.

"Call me Dante."

"As you wish," she nodded. "So, you deserve another letter of my name, I guess it took you long enough to find me again," she snickered.

"Well it would help if someone gave me _hints_ as to where they would be so that they wouldn't be waiting for so long," he countered in an equally tempting manner, edging closer. There was no denying the spark of chemistry between them as they began to circle each other like proud eagles waiting to play.

"Ah – I see, well, all I will tell you for the time being is that wherever you usually go, you will usually find me there," she smiled, taking a step back. "Now, for the second letter of my name, 'R' – as in 'responsibility lies within timing'," she loved plaguing people with her riddles, especially when they were as dashing as this demi-demon before her.

"Mmm – how come you know so much about me, but I hardly know anything about you? How do you know wherever I go?" he asked as he took a step forward, which was mirrored by her step back, keeping the distance between them level. "Where do you keep your spies?"

"Ah, trust me, I need no spies," she smiled, shaking her head gently. "I will reveal more as time passes. The more I will say, the quicker you find me, but keep your eyes wide open – I won't show myself again," and with that she turned, barely hiding her gleeful smile and walked away. Now, Dante was amused, though somewhat frustrated at the briefness of their contacts.

"You'll be found in the places where I usually go… ok, I'll keep a close eye out for you then," he murmured after her, turning with a swish of his red coat. "The search is on, I promise to find you by the end of the day after tomorrow at least. You said that the quicker I find you, the more information you'll give me – does that mean you'll answer my questions also?"

"Some, maybe, it depends on what mood I'm in," she grinned, tossing her hair behind her as she twisted her head to face him, seemingly unaware of the shadow creature ahead of her, but as Dante's Ebony and Ivory found its way to his hand – the shadow monster was dispatched of, the only trace of what killed it was the retracting discs, returning to its owners hands, where they disappeared like magic for 'Ar' simply waved her hand, and there was nothing there, no discs or anything, and Dante wondered how she summoned them. "Just because a tree's leaves maybe blowing one way, it does not mean that the trunk will necessarily not sway in another because it is always aware of the wind around it," and with that once more, she disappeared into the shadows.

"You're always aware of your surroundings," Dante translated quietly to himself. "Who are you?" his intrigue had soared to heights he had never known were possible. Nobody had ever interested him in this way before. This… demon girl… she was different from all the others he'd known, and strangely, he found himself looking forwards once more to when they would next meet. "A-R- so what's next?"

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Hope that was a little better ;


	3. A R ?

Note: lol – thanks EyeoftheTigerKissoftheDragon that was really sweet! XD Well – I hope you like it and sorry if it's a bit too short lol

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The abandoned train station was one of Dante's solitary retreats, where he could easily dispatch of any enemies that were stupid enough to come his way, and there he could think with ease. However, the reason he was there today wasn't because he wanted to wonder in peace, no – it was because, this was a place that he visited more often than not, and he was going on a hopeful whim that _she_ might just be there.

Upon entry, nothing seemed amiss; everything seemed to be as it should be. With a heavy sigh, Dante turned to leave when a sudden noise behind an upturned train caught his attention and from the corner of his eye he caught sight of a faded trouser leg, belonging to jeans that were all too familiar for him.

Moving stealthily to the vehicle, Dante peeked behind it and his heart melted, there she was sleeping like a small child, her beautiful face free of her 'trademark smirk' and any anxiety or mocking, sleeping – there was only unmarred innocence on open display. Dante couldn't remember ever witnessing anything more beautiful in his life. His breath he quietened as he crouched, bringing himself closer to her comatose form. He wasn't going to do anything to her she was too good for that, but he just loved the way she looked when she slept.

Suddenly her eyes opened, and she smiled softly at him. "You found me," she stated simply before standing with the speed of an eye blink. "Within the space of two days – now that's what I call an improvement," she grinned teasingly, and Dante found himself trying hard to recover from a minor heart attack.

"Of course," he managed to return with his usual ice cool disposition.

"Well then, the third letter of my name is 'C', like 'catch me if you can'," she grinned as she began to fly in her devil trigger form. "Catch me and I'll answer any question you throw at me – albeit one, so make it a good one, and a hint of where I'll be next," she loved her 'play time'; and Dante was more than willing to play.

"As you wish," and with that a little game of 'tag' ensued, with 'Arc' flying one way in a demon form that was both angelic yet demonic, and sweet to the eyes. Most demons were a white or black or red hue, but no, this woman's demon form was an exquisite royal blue streaked with extraordinary silver. Her wings were of the same mythril silver as the wire of her discs; her top was a ripped blue motif with a streak of silver cutting through it diagonally while her skirt had a midway parting, whose colour was blue and silver entwined, like the rare eye colour, beautiful. Dante would chase after her with surprising speed, but no matter how fast he went, Arc was always that little bit faster. _How does she manage THAT! _He contemplated raggedly; never before had he met an opponent so… so annoyingly on par with him.

Eventually, Arc ran herself into a corner, realising her mistake too late for Dante was quick to seize the opportunity of trapping her when it represented himself for as she swiftly turned to exit, Dante caught her as she moved to run out and brought them both crashing into the opposite wall, bodies momentarily entwined; both their ragged breaths mixing as Arc raised her head to face him.

"I – got – you," he managed to proclaim with all the triumph his breathlessness would allow him.

"I – can – see – that," she returned with a small laugh as she settled into his grip, lessening the tension in his body and the grip he had on her wrists eased as well, knowing that she had given herself in defeat; but being partial demons in the least, they both regained their breaths with inhuman quickness. "So – your question, what is it?"

"How do you know me?" she smiled up at him.

"I know you because of a promise entrusted to me by a certain red haired demon called Lucia," she saw the spark of recognition lighting the boy's youthful features. "She… wanted me to… to thank you. She's gone back to Matier, she wanted me to give you something… but – I don't want to give it to you just yet," she grinned, and Dante eased his leg between hers.

"What is it?" he murmured close to her ear.

"Uh-uh-uh, one question, remember?" she reminded him in her taunting manner. "Besides… wouldn't that spoil the point of this little 'kiss chase'?" she laughed, and Dante suddenly found himself pinning thin air against the wall and turning he found the demon girl glancing back at him, smiling. He hadn't even been aware that she'd moved.

"So… where will you be next?" he asked, his voice husky.

"Hm… look for me by an old churchyard, but… I won't be there for at least a day, maybe two. I have something to attend to, but look for me there, and there I'll be," and with that she sauntered away, leaving Dante to stare after her, before a small smile lit his lips.

"Ok – by the church yard, I'll seek you out in two days' time." He already had his next question in mind.

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¦coughs¦ that was a bit… well – anyway, I hope it wasn't too much info! Lol


	4. The Middle

Note: wow – thanks TigerDragon (sorry for the uber shortening! I'm feeling kinda lazy today lol ;) even if you're the only person reviewing it, I don't mind ¦-) it's nice to have a great reviewer like you XD and sorry this chappie's really short… I just wanted to convey a different side to the OC XD

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Promptly at dusk on the second day from the prior meeting, Dante headed to the deserted church yard, and lo' and behold, there _she_ was, sitting upon the top spire; legs idly swinging, waiting for him, smirking her trademark as Dante doubled jumped to be beside her.

"Hello," was her salutation as she nodded before turning away. Something seemed to be bothering her; she didn't seem to be her usual upbeat self. "The fourth letter of my name is 'A', as in 'accepting is believing'," she shook her head softly. "So – your question?" she kept herself turned away from him, and Dante's primary question was forgotten for the time being.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"N-nothing," she uncharacteristically stuttered. Where was her seemingly abundant confidence? "Nothing at all," even her chuckle was shaky, and Dante pulled her to him, repeating his question again, but she kept her gaze away from him. "I… can't tell you yet. I myself have to accept and believe," she whispered, her voice like the gentle rustle of falling leaves that even Dante had to strain to hear.

"When you do accept and believe, will you tell me regardless of what happens? Sometimes it's best to talk about things," he suggested with genuine concern. He didn't know when it had started to happen, but he'd begun to develop feelings for this mysterious demon that he'd never had for anyone else before. "You can… tell me, ok?" he knew that he wasn't usually like this, but right now, he didn't care.

"Th-thank you," she looked up at him, their meeting gazes seemed to enlarge a slowly burning flame that had always been there since their first meeting, Dante leaned closer… hoping for a… but before that could happen, 'Arca' gently pushed him away. "Uh… I have to go, but – if it helps, during the past day and a half, I went to see Lucia," she smiled softly as she began to walk away in the direction of the setting sun. "And… our next meeting… try to find a room that's concealed to the naked eye," and with that she jumped down from the spire and retreated.

"O-ok," he murmured. "I'll scout for a secret room and I'll see you there a.s.a.p. I hope… you'll be fine on your own… for the time being? There's only one more meeting left after that," it was funny, how that thought saddened him, but from the first, he knew that he wouldn't be able to let her go easily; and he knew that somewhere within the demon – a part of her at least didn't want to be released.

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Heh – I hope that wasn't too bad for an uber short piece lol


	5. Note

Hey - sorry Tiger Dragon - I won't be able to update for awhile 'cause my pc's gone a bit 'coo-coo' and I can't get hold of any of the story files. I'm trying to fix it at the mo. (am using my friend's pc lol) but I'm just waiting to get it up and running again ) 

Fingers crossed that it won't be too long, huh? Lol

Sorry for the wait!

Dragonfly

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	6. A R C A ?

Note: Thanks tuly, TigerDragon, and YYY – domo arigato! Ah, really sorry for the long wait ; I hope that… well – this chapter isn't too bad. Wow – 'FM's almost finished! Yay! Lol - -coughs- sorry…

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On his third day of searching, Dante was ready to massacre any living thing that moved, which of course posed a threat to him. So much so the dark auras of frustration that rolled from him like destructive waves made even the most hardiest of fiends retreat in his presence. All he wanted to do was find her again, coming upon a sturdy looking stone wall with a stretched godhead upon it, he decided to vent his anger – only to find himself being sucked into a 'room that's concealed to the naked eye' with a slight gasp of astonishment.

Ever faithful, there she was, smiling warmly now as he entered. "You're just like the small riddle for the fifth letter of my name, the second from last, which is 'N', as in 'never give up' – doesn't that describe you perfectly?" she smiled softly as she straightened and sauntered over to him. "So… what's your question?" Dante sighed.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"I said before, because of a promise to a close friend, a cousin."

"No, I mean this game… this little 'kiss chase'," he explained.

"Uh… because…" her cheeks flushed an unfamiliar crimson as she turned away, but evaded his touch with a back step. "Everything – I'll tell you everything in our last meeting, I'm sorry, I – I have to go," she moved to sidestep him, but Dante caught her wrist and instinctively she turned to face him and he was taken aback by the tears that he found at the brink of pouring. "Please – I'll… tell you… then, ok?" she pleaded quietly, when suddenly monsters appeared. "Wh-what! I thought I took care of these guys!"

"Monsters regenerate after a time," Dante told her, poised to fight, one-handed; he didn't really want to relinquish her wrist, but 'Arcan' just shook her head, and smiled up at him, fighting back her tears. She really wasn't feeling herself anymore… but… she could still fight.

"Don't worry about me – I don't give up remember?" she laughed with forced airiness. "I won't go anywhere, don't worry, I won't leave you," than quickly she added, "To take care of these creatures alone," the heat in her cheeks almost overwhelming, but Dante couldn't help but smile.

"Ok," and with that small assurance that she was fine, he let her wrist go; but he couldn't deny the warmth that had sprung within him when she had said that she wouldn't leave him. "Let's kick some demon ass," and with that he expertly cocked his beloved pistols and blew through three on coming fiery beings while Arcan took to the air and with her own brand of graceful expertise, slicing through the four enemies that were moving behind Dante, while Dante shot down the shadow monster that was clambering along the wall in the hopes of taking the aerial demon in surprise. It didn't matter whether one was airborne or not, their relative positions never changed, they were always somewhat back-to-back.

They made an effective team for in less than two minutes flat all the twenty monsters the room had to throw at them were gone, leaving only plentiful demon blood to be collected.

"There, my parting gift to you – as an apology for my strange behaviour, but don't worry, it's a promise, I will tell you everything… when we next meet, ok? And I'll give you what I vowed to Lucia I would. Just… wait until then, I'll be there by the end of this week. Don't look for me, _I'll_ come to _you_… there's just – one more thing I have to do," and with that she bowed her head low before quickly exiting, leaving Dante no room to say anything to prolong her stay.

"Just four more days," he sighed heavily. "Four more days… but I'm not willing to say goodbye that easily," he warned her faintly, knowing that she couldn't hear him, but he said it despite that. "Four more days… than everything will be revealed. Four days worth of thinking," he smiled. "I'll need all the thinking time I can get."

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Ah… that was… terrible… sorry.


	7. The End

Note: Ah, I'm sorry for the _uber _long wait! TigerDragon and Forcade ¦smiles¦ Well, here it is! The last chapter TT and I really am sorry; and I hope that I didn't keep you waiting too long… actually wait – that's a really stupid thing to say! Sorry!

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Finally, the end of the week came and Dante's impatient back and forth pacing along the length of his office was actually beginning to wear a groove in the hard flooring. The thinking time had seemed like a pleasure at first, convenient but now – it just seemed too long. He couldn't wait whatsoever; he just wanted her here, now, like an anxious boyfriend that hadn't seen his girlfriend for an eternity.

However, the moment he heard his front door creak, Dante regained his usual composure, ready to greet the 'elusive' demon, but when Arcan appeared in view – she looked more worse for wear than anything he had seen before and the tear streaks on her face were as obvious as daylight. She smiled weakly at him before crashing to meet the floor, unconscious. Dante was at her side in a flash and caught her before a single hair could even touch the floor.

"Arcan!" he cried, but the girl was out cold. Her clothes were torn, but the wounds were already healing though there was no hiding the blood stains that now marred her blue and white garb. "Please – please… be ok," he whispered softly as he held her close to him, before moving to his bed where he laid her down and busied himself fetching some spare clothes from his drawers and set them down beside her, before moving his sofa closer to his bedroom door, which he left ajar – just in case she might need something if she came to.

The entire night, Dante barely slept, and if he did – it was only for twenty minutes at the maximum.

When Dante opened his eyes the next morning, he found himself face-to-face with a now smiling Arcan, who had changed into his clothes that fit her in a cute manner, being too big for her, gently let her hand graze his cheek. "My name's Arcana, the last 'A' of my name stands for 'acquiring is the end of our little charade'," and with that she opened her left hand, and there, glistening in its centre was his two headed coin. "My cousin wanted me to return this to you, it was a thank you remembrance sort of present for all the things you've done for her."

"Arcana…" Dante murmured her name as if tasting it, but she quietly hushed him.

"Don't… let me tell you everything like I promised I would," and with that she sat beside him, letting her a hand fall to his strong chest. "I am the other protector, the 'reserve' if you like. When I last left you, I had to return – there was… a war in our village, an all-out war against demons, which pitted themselves against demi-demons like Lucia and I, and humans like Matier. Many were killed, but we won. Lucia and Matier are fine," she smiled softly. "And… I left straight from the battle to get here, so that I wouldn't be late," she chuckled softly at her own stupidity, but Dante smiled gently.

"You really are a stubborn girl aren't you? You should've called me!"

"Of course but I didn't want to get you hurt!" she protested indignantly and Dante just shook his head, glad that she'd made it back to him in one piece, that she'd actually _wanted _to get back to him that not even a _war_ could delay her. "And you know what? When I went to see Lucia again the first time, I had to ask her something – something about myself and you. She… she told me that I was falling for you and that it was understandable, but, I myself didn't understand the feelings… these new emotions that I was feeling for you. I didn't know, I've never been… in _love_ before," another blush tainted her pale skin. "And – I didn't really accept it, couldn't believe it… but, now I do," she smiled at him. "I – I love you Dante," not 'Son of Sparda', but just Dante and with that, the young demi-demon pulled her unto his lap.

"Hey – I told you before, just because you've fulfilled this promise now, doesn't mean that you have to go, because… I – I love you too," he smiled up at her, before pulling her down into a tender kiss. "I love you Arcana, more than you'll ever know. No more charades, just plain you and me from now on," and at that they couldn't help but smile as Arcana nestled against his shoulder, content at having loved and being loved in return; no longer needing to play a part in a nameless, riddlingmasquerade.

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There – thank you again for reading this all the way TigerDragon ¦smile¦ Your support all the way throughout – I never could have done it without you! And wow… thank you, Forcade – favourite list? Ah… sankyuu very much! Sorry if the ending's a bit... uh... corny lol, my brain decided to go on a vacation! ¦sheepish smile¦

Dragonfly

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